Two Republican lawmakers declared themselves candidates for the
6th District Congressional seat, the latest in a chain reaction set
off last week when U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton announced he won't seek a
second term.

Monday's entrants were state Sen. Michele Bachmann,
R-Stillwater, and state Rep. Jim Knoblach, R-St. Cloud. Both want
to succeed U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy, the Republican who announced his
U.S. Senate candidacy last Friday.

"It's insane that we're talking about the 2006 election
already," said Sarah Janecek, a Republican lobbyist and political
analyst. "But once one person jumps in, everyone else feels like
they can't wait."

Knoblach, the chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means
Committee, said he hadn't planned to enter the race so early but
felt he had little choice.

"I wouldn't be announcing if others weren't," Knoblach said.
"My main goal of the next few months is the legislative session."

The low-key Knoblach didn't call a press conference, instead
sharing the news personally with reporters at the state Capitol.

By contrast, Bachmann - who earned both strong supporters and
detractors last year as the chief legislative proponent of a state
constitutional ban on gay marriage - made her announcement at a
press conference attended by family, several fellow senators and a
large group of supporters.

An outspoken social conservative, Bachmann signaled she won't
back down from her opposition to gay marriage, abortion and her
views on other hot-button issues. Even as she mounts a campaign,
Bachmann said she'd remain chief sponsor of the gay marriage ban,
which Republicans plan to push again this year.

"I want to be a voice for all the people who do everything
right when they wake up in the morning," said Bachmann, a mother
of five.

While Knoblach may not share Bachmann's talent for making
headlines, he signaled his campaign is serious. He's already hired
as a consultant Pat Fiske, a Republican operative who has
previously served as Kennedy's chief of staff in Congress.

The 6th District includes northern Twin Cities suburbs and the
St. Cloud area. Both Bachmann and Knoblach said they'd need to
raise several million dollars for the race. Both also said they'd
drop out if Kennedy were to not get the party's Senate nod and
decide to seek re-election to the House.

In one notable divergence, Bachmann said she would leave the
race if she fails to get the endorsement of 6th District Republican
delegates. Knoblach left a little wiggle room.

"I fully intend to get the endorsement," Knoblach said. Asked
if he'd run in the primary without it, Knoblach said it's "too
early to say if I'll do that."

Other Republicans are likely to enter the race, including Cheri
Pierson Yecke, the former state education commissioner who lost her
job last year after the DFL-controlled state Senate voted her down.
A number of others are said to be considering the race, including
Bachmann's fellow senators Michelle Fischbach and Mark Ourada,
Knoblach's House colleague Phil Krinkie, and Secretary of State
Mary Kiffmeyer.

Among Democrats, the top prospect is children's advocate Patty
Wetterling, who lost to Kennedy last year and is now considering
another try, or possibly a U.S. Senate run. A Wetterling confidant
said Monday that Wetterling would announce her plans next week.

Wetterling won praise from Democrats for making a strong effort
against Kennedy, and she is widely known statewide as the mother of
kidnapping victim Jacob Wetterling.

"Her name identification is pretty much 100 percent," said
Mike Erlandson, the state DFL chairman. "If she gets into the
race, she's not just the best DFL candidate - she's the best
candidate."